First Date
by suddenlysomewherethatsgreen
Summary: Mid musical, Audrey and Seymour's first date


Seymour was easily the best friend that Audrey had ever had. In her entire life no one had even come close. They had been friends for a long while now. And as of very recently, they were suddenly more than that.

However at peace or full of bliss Audrey felt, she could hardly call this time romantic. It was hectic. It was hard to believe this was once the slow shop they sat and counted the petals in until the clock struck 6:00. The shop had never been more popular and a day didn't go by without Seymour being whisked away to a meeting.

It was only a few short days after the kiss on the fire escape that she truly got to see Seymour. It was after 6:00 and the last of the customers had been pushed out the door. Audrey flipped the sign to "closed" and heard Seymour sigh behind her. She turned around to see him resting his face on his hand, propped up by his elbow on the counter. His eyes showed his exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He blinked and tried to smile. "Yeah. Yeah I'm okay. Just tired s'all."

She frowned and paced over to the counter to stand beside him. He did look tired. She was worried.

"Seymour, did you miss lunch?"

He blinked. He had. There had been a meeting around noon and he had forgotten altogether to eat until later. It always amazed him that Audrey would pay attention to such a thing. Caring wasn't a trait he was used to in the people he was around.

"I guess I forgot," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

Audrey fumbled with her nails and glanced over her shoulder out the shop window. The sun was setting, dulling the colors of the already bland street. But not quite dark enough for the street lamps to light.

"I'm hungry too." He noticed her hesitate before turning back to him and speaking next. "Did you wanna eat something?"

He smiled at her. That sounded nice. Seymour thought about the food he did have in his room. He knew he couldn't cook.

"We could go to Schmedrick's," he suggested.

A smile crossed her face as she tried to suppress her excitement. "I'd love to."

Audrey grabbed her purse off the rack and passed Seymour his windbreaker. Seymour shut the lights off behind them.

Being in the stuffy and crowded shop all day, neither of them had realized how cold it had grown outside until stepping out on the front step. The mid autumn air stung.

Seymour locked the shop's front door and turned around. Audrey's nose and cheeks had immediately tinted a bright pink, and exhaling she could see the outline of her breath. She tugged her cardigan closed and hunched.

"Are you okay?"

She inhaled through a chatter of her teeth and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine."

Seymour wasn't convinced, but he doubted if she'd tell him otherwise. It wasn't in Audrey's nature to ask for help. She wasn't used to receiving it anyway.

Still hunched, Audrey started down the sidewalk. Seymour stepped to keep up as her heels echoed in the night. Her legs were longer but she was slow enough for him to stand beside. She unsuccessfully tried to hide a shiver and Seymour stopped and unzipped his windbreaker.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Here."

Audrey stopped in her tracks. This wasn't something she was used to. Just a short time ago Orin chewed her head off for forgetting her sweater at the shop. And here Seymour was giving her his own.

"I can't take this, Seymour. Then you'll be cold."

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm alright."

Slowly Audrey pulled her arms through the armholes and pulled it straight to zip closed. It was warm. Whether or not Seymour was actually cold, she was unable to tell. If he was he hid it well. They continued down the sidewalk. Audrey noticed Seymour swinging his arms and glanced at his hand. She could reach out and hold it. He was her boyfriend now, it wouldn't be strange. She had wanted to for a long time. Orin didn't like hand holding in the slightest. And if he touched her at all while they were walking it was usually a tight grip on her forearm to make her move faster. Audrey hesitated for just a moment. She didn't reach out to grab his hand. It wouldn't be enough. Instead she stepped closer and looped her arm around his. Audrey thought to herself that this is what it should feel like. This is what it feels like to feel safe, happy, loved even. It was a feeling she had never known.

She could sense Seymour's surprise. He looked at her briefly and smiled sheepishly. He was out in a public place with her. And not just that but she had her arm on him. He knew people could see her with someone like him, but he noticed she didn't seem to care about that.

Schmedrick's was just down the street from the shop and the walk didn't take long at all. Seymour took several fast steps to get ahead so he would be able to open the door for her. A small gesture, but just another one that was new to her. She beamed.

The diner was small and seemed cramped. It was dinner time and a lot of pedestrians were already filling the tables.

"What would you like?" Audrey whispered as they paced up to the counter.

He shook his head and shrugged. "What are you gonna get?"

Audrey glanced at the menu which was pinned high on the wall in bold letters. "Just a sandwich, probably."

"That sounds good."

Audrey turned to the man behind the counter and placed the order. Seymour took several bills out of his pocket and passed them to the cashier before Audrey was able to make any sort of protest.

The man reached under the counter and handed Audrey a small silver tent with their table number on it.

"Seymour?" An unfamiliar voice chimed behind them. "Seymour Krelborn?"

He turned around to address them. He was a reporter, Seymour could tell that much. His life had been plagued with reporters lately and their faces began to blur.

Meanwhile, several other bystanders had turned their heads at the mention of this now well known name. Him and Audrey both heard a chorus of murmurs.

"Seymour Krelborn."

"The plant guy..."

"...famous Audrey ii."

"...down at Mushnik's florist."

"That's him?"

The reporter took several steps forward and pumped Seymour's arm up and down.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you. Do you mind if I get a few questions for the Skid Row Herald Examiner?"

It was at this moment the reporter first took notice of Audrey, standing fairly close to him and wearing his windbreaker.

"Is this your sister?"

Audrey made a face and glanced at Seymour before shaking her head. She couldn't understand why he would think that, but Seymour understood. It was too unrealistic to think that a woman as beautiful as her would be out with him.

"Friend then?"

Audrey didn't answer with words but inched closer to Seymour, grabbing his hand in her own and interlocking her fingers. The reporter watched on in disbelief.

"I'm his Audrey."

"His Au… Oh! Audrey! Like the plant!" the reporter smiled at the connection.

Audrey smiled back and nodded.

"Well then you must be 'The Audrey One'."

This caused Audrey to erupt into a fit of giggles. She hid her face on Seymour's shoulder. The chorus of whispers returned.

"...Audrey just like the plant."

"He named it after her?"

"How romantic."

Seymour noticed the reporter reach for his notebook and at this finally spoke up. He held out his hand to silence him.

"No questions tonight."

The reporter looked disappointed and Seymour felt guilty.

"J-just come by the shop tomorrow and I'll answer them. No tonight though."

He settled for this response and put his pen back in his pocket. This didn't stop the onlookers from staring at Seymour in fascination. Audrey had noticed he had grown pale. Having been so close with Seymour for so long she had forgotten how shy and anxious he could be. She turned and addressed the man behind the counter.

"Could we have our orda' to go instead?" She asked, passing back their table number.

He nodded and after a moment pressed a brown paper bag with dark grease stains into Audrey's hand. Holding tight to Seymour, the two tried to navigate their way through the pedestrians, who had only interest in him, and not food.

"...new species they say."

"Have you seen it yet?"

"And he discovered it."

The two broke free from the crowd and pushed through the door back into the cold night. Audrey gave Seymour's hand a squeeze and quickened her pace.

"C'mon," she whispered.

Seymour struggled to keep up and wondered how she could walk so fast in high heels. But then he noticed she wasn't walking anymore. She had began to run, pulling Seymour up behind her. He started running as well. Audrey was bursting with giggles and pulled him quickly into an empty alleyway.

"Are they following?" Audrey whispered.

Seymour finally understood and turned over his shoulder. "I don't think so."

"C'mon. Detour."

An empty alleyway would have been hard to navigate at night for anyone besides them. But Audrey and Seymour had both been trapped on Skid Row since birth. They knew every brick.

Reaching through the other end of the alleyway, they made their way onto an empty street not too far off from the shop. It was then Audrey allowed her giggles to become full laughter. Seymour was bewitched. Even as long as he had been friends with Audrey, hearing her laugh was rare.

Continuing on, Audrey didn't let go of Seymour's hand. The two of them continued hand in hand down the street, but at a normal more comfortable pace this time.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

Audrey glanced over at him.

"Did I ruin the night?"

She shook her head. "No. Not at all." She tossed her hair out of her face and gazed onwards. "Besides, as far as first dates go, this is pretty good."

Seymour stopped dead. Audrey took several steps before glancing back at him. His face was struck with amazement as the realization came to him for the very first time. "This is a date!"

Audrey nodded. Seymour put his hand on his face to cover the heat that had began to fill his cheeks.

"Wow," was all he could say. "Wow."

Several moments passed before Seymour had found the strength to speak again.

"I've never had a date before."

Audrey didn't laugh like he figured anyone would at this embarrassing fact. Instead she looked on him with pity, wondering how someone as perfect and sweet as him could have gone unnoticed for so long. It was Seymour's first date and it may as well have been Audrey's first date too with how different this was from her other dates.

"Does that make me…" he stopped.

Audrey looked back. "What?"

He tried to find the words that he almost couldn't ask out of disbelief. "Am I your boyfriend?"

A smile broke out across Audrey's face. "Yeah. Yeah… you are my boyfriend."

Seymour slowly exhaled in amazement.

Audrey glanced down at their entwined hands and twiddled his fingers. "And I guess that… means I'm your girlfriend."

"You are my girlfriend," Seymour repeated in wonder just like a child.

Audrey stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, laying her chin down to rest on his shoulder. He could smell her perfume. Like lavender.

"I'm so glad," she whispered in his ear.

Pulling away she grabbed his hand, interlocking it in her own, and began to swing their arms as they walked. Seymour felt his heart flutter. He'd imagined this circumstance over a hundred times in the past. But now that he was here he was at a loss for words. Instead a dopey grin stayed plastered on his face. Audrey didn't mind the silence. She felt exactly the same.

The shop had just began to come into view in the distance.

"Are you okay?" Audrey asked, noticing Seymour had begun to slow and somewhat drag his feet.

He nodded and squeezed her hand, trying to think of the right way to put it. He began to see the outlines of the pod in the window.

"Yeah. Yeah. Just… could we go somewhere else? Not the shop."

"Oh? Like where?" she inquired.

Seymour didn't have an answer. He hadn't thought that far ahead. She took his silence as an answer and began suggesting.

"We could keep walking around… though it seems to be getting colda'. We could go to your basement..."

Audrey stopped talking and Seymour looked at her, before following her glance. She too was staring at the shop window. Her feet stopped completely.

"Seymour can I tell you something?" Her voice had dropped low. "I get the weirdest feeling that plant is watching me sometimes."

He looked alarmed and she shook her head, trying to laugh as if it was really a joke. She didn't want to say more and quickly changed the subject.

"We could go to my apartment."

Seymour moved his gaze across the street from the shop.

"Your apartment?"

"Sure."

She pulled him along and halfway up the small staircase. She took her hand away from his so she was able to dig her key out of her purse. She paused her movements.

"You've neva' been in my apartment before, have you?"

He shook his head. "No. I don't think so."

She held her key tight in her grip and glanced down at it. Just another side of her that Seymour had yet to see. She prayed he'd like this as well, and silently cursed herself for not cleaning up better this morning.

Audrey pushed open the door and flipped on the lights. She quickly slid out of Seymour's windbreaker and hung it on her rack. Seymour glanced around. He had seen her apartment before. From the street and from the small view he had from his basement window. Being in it, it made more sense. It felt more like Audrey. He could smell a mixture of her perfumes, soaps, potpourri, and floral scented candles resting on her dresser. The walls were pink floral wallpaper. Her bed was very small and blue, and Seymour noticed the small pile of stuffed animals she had acquired. He smirked and felt his heart swell at the sight of a stuffed cocker spaniel in the front. The exact stuffed animal he had given her just last valentines day. He had done it anonymously, or so he thought. Panning his head over he saw an empty birdcage, an empty fishbowl, and a large mirror with sundries resting on the vanity in front. All of which were lined straight and organized like they belonged there. He saw a stack of no less than five "Better Home And Gardens" magazines sitting on top of the stool. Audrey moved swiftly to grab these and slid them into a drawer. She wasn't quite ready to show those to Seymour yet. Not her dreams, but the magazines specifically. Several pages had doodles scribbled out in pen and she had written "Mrs. Audrey Krelborn" on more than one occassion. She felt too embarrassed to tell him that yet.

She sat down on this stool and took the brown bag from Seymour, beginning to unload their dinner. Seymour looked around for somewhere else to sit before quietly sitting down at the edge of her bed.

He wanted to ask a question but was too embarrassed. Handing off his sandwich she could see that something was on his mind.

"What?"

Seymour was silent for a moment, and responded in a quiet voice. "I'm not sure what to do next?"

"Huh?"

He looked down at his meal. "I'm not sure what to do. What do you normally do on dates?"

"Oh."

Audrey thought for a moment. What do you do? She could hardly call her past experiences dates after all. She didn't want to admit this to Seymour. Instead she thought, what would someone normally do? How would a normal date go down? How would she _want _a date to go?

She smiled. "We can talk for a little bit."

He smiled back. "Oh yeah? What about?"

Audrey was unfolding the tinfoil from her sandwich as she spoke. "We usually talk about our days."

Seymour thought. "How do we do that?"

"Hmm. I guess we can't really. We just spent all day togetha'." Audrey kept thinking. "Kinda exciting all that's happening."

"Huh?"

"With the plant. Do you have any more meetings tomorrow?"

He was picking at his sandwich, looking anywhere but her eyes. "Yeah."

Audrey studied Seymour. In this moment they were both thinking different things. Audrey was thinking about how she wished Seymour was enjoying his success. He had every reason to be happy, right? And Seymour was remembering that this was the only reason he had gotten Audrey in the first place. His success.

Audrey didn't want to make him have to talk if he didn't want to. Slowly she put down her sandwich and rose from her stool. Seymour watched as she crossed the room to her tiny radio she had against the wall. She switched it on to the station she had it already set to. It was just ending a twist and fading into another song. Much slower and romantic. Audrey placed her hands on her heart and turned to face Seymour.

"Would you like to dance?"

He was in a difficult situation. He couldn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to. He wanted to, more than anything. He'd wanted to before, hearing her hum to herself or along with the radio in the shop. But he was clumsy and robotic. He would trip and fall. Or he'd step on her toes. Or she'd laugh at him.

"Would that be okay?" was what he ended up saying.

She stepped forward with her hands outstretched and grabbed his, pulling him to his feet. "Of course it would."

He seemed confused as to what to do with his hands. She took one and placed it on the small of her back, and held the other in her own. Seymour stood frozen. She tried to pull him to dance but his feet stayed anchored to his spot. He glanced down at his scuffed brown shoes.

"I'm worried I'm gonna step on you."

Audrey looked down at their shoes and thought for a moment. Smiling she stepped out of her high heels, and stood in her stocking feet. She wasn't towering over him quite so much anymore now either. Audrey placed the tips of her toes on Seymour's shoes.

"There. Now you can't." She gave his hand a squeeze. "Follow me."

And just like that, she began to move. Seymour tried to comply with her movements to keep his feet under hers. They stepped around in a circle before Seymour stopped and let go. Bending down, he untied his own shoes before stepping out of them. He grabbed her hands again, and began to move with more confidence. Audrey wondered if he could feel her heart beating as she lay her head down on his shoulder. Seymour wondered if it were possible for his heart to burst.

Audrey would have been content staying up all night talking or dancing. But the exhaustion of a long work day was hard to ignore. Once she started yawning, Seymour was the one who admit it was time for him to go. She held his hand reluctantly.

"I'll walk you home."

The night was colder than when they had entered her apartment hours earlier, but Seymour failed to notice. He felt so warm. Audrey stopped in front of the shop and Seymour turned to face her. She was smiling. The streetlights cast a glow which reflected on her brown eyes and made them look like they were shining. Audrey stepped forward and rested her chin on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. He whispered his goodnight.

Audrey moved her mouth close to his ear and whispered goodnight as well. At first Seymour thought she had slurred his name and wondered why she had done that. But then she realized she hadn't. She hadn't said his name. She called him 'Sweetheart'.

Her lips were against his. Seymour closed his eyes. Kissing was such a new experience to him and he liked it a lot. It didn't feel real. Having imagined kissing her for so long, he had to remind himself each time that this was really happening. He was really kissing Audrey. Time stood still until they pulled away.

"See you tomorrow," she whispered. "Goodnight."

Audrey gave his hand a squeeze before turning toward her apartment. Seymour didn't move, and instead watched her cross the street, climb the short staircase, and enter the building. He watched her shadow enter her room behind her drawn shades. He smiled.


End file.
